FURY has erupted over a renewed bid to create a waste transfer site only yards away from businesses.

Members of Richmondshire District Council rejected a bid to create the facility at the old potato store in Bridge Road, Brompton-on-Swale, last November.

But now the company behind the application, Yorwaste, has lodged an appeal against the decision - even though it has submitted for an alternative on a different site.

Local people have expressed their outrage over the move, to which they plan to mount strong objections.

"It has already been rejected once for sound reasons," said local businessman Mike Harris. "It would have a major effect on local firms and is also near to a residential area."

The move was initially rejected after a storm of local protest and district councillors decided it contravened the local plan and was incompatible with the characters and uses of the area.

Since then, Yorwaste has submitted a different application for a waste transfer unit at the nearby Scorton landfill site.

For planning reasons that application has had to be made to the county council and its members have not yet made their decision on it.

However, the alternative scheme has already caused a similar reaction to the first bid, with more than 200 villagers writing in to object.

Northallerton-based Yorwaste wants to create a transfer facility for the sorting of household waste from the Richmondshire and Hambleton districts, which would then be taken on to the Scorton landfill site.

However, as that site has only a limited life, both of the possible transfer sites would only be used on a temporary basis until the replacement landfill site is ready for use in October 2005.

Yorwaste's managing director Steve Grieve said: "A transfer site for household waste is required and our original proposal for Bridge Road was thought to be the best all round.

"We still feel it is right and have therefore decided to appeal."

He said: "Applications for any waste facility will always receive a lot of objections locally."